In light of the recent threads regarding the death and injury ratio between windsurfers and the kiters and coupled with a recent ankle injury while sailing, I got to wondering, what are the worst injuries and injury situations that my fellow sailors and I have had? I tweaked my knee and ankle so badly 3 weeks ago at Crissy field; that I thought something was broken. I mean I pulled my leg up onto my board just to make sure that it was still in a straight line. So Im lying in the water grunting and groaning trying to figure out if the cold water is covering enough of the pain to be able to put enough wait on it to sail back to the beach (itís my left leg which is your back leg on the typical starboard take return to the beach.) Of Course the tide is ebbing which means I am headed out the Gate, and if I donít get run over by a tanker the next stop is the Farallon Island. Anyway I grit my teeth and make it back to the beach, and then up to the parking lot and home. One of the worst parts about being injured isnít the pain or expense; itís the time on the water that youíre going to miss. Much time with, ice packs, beer a $50 ankle brace, insurance co-payment and chewing ibuprofen like pop corn later and I think that I may be able to sail again next week? So I just thought Id see what other stuff people have had to deal with while being injured windsurfing?

in your description of your predicament is the reason I dont sail at Crissy, ie cold water, big currents can take you to the farallons, big boats, sharks, big windshadow etc.
Anyway at Rio I hit my side-back so hard with the mast that I had a huge bruise all up and down. I could barely move my back for a week. what was interesting was the challenge of trying to wipe myself after going the bathroom.

Worst I had was a strained ACL. I was able to sail back, de-rig, pack up and go home. I had to goose-walk for 6 weeks until it healed. That was a beginner accident. Since then, nothing major.

One thing Ive noticed is that of all the various back problems I have, no matter how bad it is I am able to sail thru it, often to the betterment of my back. The worst case, I took a Demerol in the morning, slept half the day and took my son to the beach for him to sail. After helping him rig, I thought I can do this!. So I rigged up, and sailed. Pain gone when I got back. I gotta admit, tho, I was feeling pretty loose on the water.

11 years ago I had an injury which changed my life. In Ooctober 95 I broke my left foot when it got stuck in my footstrap on a 3.7 day at The Wall. I was in a non-walking cast for 8 weeks and put on 25 pounds+ which Ive been never able to lose. Eleven years later I continue to have problems with my foot but I sail on.

Ouch! I did that a long time ago playing football. Broke both the tiba & fibula. That is why I decided to stop playing and coach. Six hours of surgery with and artificial bone graft, one metal plate and 7 screws before 10 weeks on non-walking cast. A couple years later I went back in and had the doctor break out his Makita and remove the hardware. I couldnt stand feeling the screw heads on the outside of my ankle. Windsurfing has been way safer.

I windsurfed for 20 years with no major injuries then had a spree of them a few years back. Now I sail pretty conservatively in my old age with no problems. I have broken my ankle (fibula) from impact, foot (metatarsals) getting stuck in the straps, and cracked ribs from falling on the mast in a simple low speed catapult.
I would say these represent the most common windsurf injuries.

I blew a jibe on the outside at Kanaha on Maui. In a freak accident my knee met the boom head that had no boom bra on it. Dont recall if it was a Neil Pryde or Chinook boom head inscription that apparently impacted my knee and opened the skin up right off it. Came up, knew something was wrong, checked the knee and met my kneecap for the first time without skin intervention. Wasnt sure if it would hold weight but had to get in so I did manage to sail in. Turns out no structural damage but quite a few stitches to put it all back together. These days I call it my Maui Tatoo.

Strange thing was how many people stopped to grimace at the blood soaking my leg but not a single one offered any help. Fortunately the lifeguards and instructors there are awesome and helped me out.

Lee,
I dont know how you can stand it. Every time I bumped or rubbed my ankle against something, zing, right to the marrow. I couldnt even lay on my left side because I could just feel the screws pressing against the inside of my ankle. Ever thought of having yours taken out? I was in at 7 am and home by noon the day they took out my screws and plate. I do not miss them at all.

Lee,
I dont know how you can stand it. Every time I bumped or rubbed my ankle against something, zing, right to the marrow. I couldnt even lay on my left side because I could just feel the screws pressing against the inside of my ankle. Ever thought of having yours taken out? I was in at 7 am and home by noon the day they took out my screws and plate. I do not miss them at all.

Spectro huh? I still have my 5.0 Spectro and just replaced it with the first brand new sail I have ever bought, Naish Force 5.0. My Spectro is still going strong after I sewed the mast cap back on last year. I blew up my 5.5 Spectro a couple of years ago on Donner Lake.

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